Eluned Morgan: Who is the first minister candidate?

Is the self-proclaimed "disruptor" poised to become the next First Minister of Wales?

An individual who reports on political news for BBC Wales

Eluned Morgan is on track to become the first female leader of Welsh Labour, after an unsuccessful first try.

The situation now is completely opposite to what she experienced during her last campaign, which had a difficult start.

In the past, a shortage of support from fellow Labour politicians nearly prevented her from being listed on the ballot paper.

Six years later, with Vaughan Gething's short-lived leadership failing, potential competitors are stepping aside in her support.

'Challenging The Status Quo'

If she is successful, it will mark the peak of her political journey that began at a young age and has led her to serve in three different parliaments.

In her last campaign, she described herself as a "mild troublemaker" - maybe, but she has been in politics for most of her career.

She was raised in a political environment in Ely, Cardiff. Her father, Bob, served as a vicar and also led the South Glamorgan council. Her mother, Elaine, was also a council member.

Their house was described by her as the central hub for political events in the western part of Cardiff.

Future leaders Rhodri Morgan and Mark Drakeford were members of the same political group.

From TV Host To Noblewoman

She attended Ysgol Glantaf in Cardiff and later received a scholarship to attend Atlantic College in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Following her time at university in Hull, she pursued a career in television and later entered the European Parliament as its youngest member at the age of 27, after being elected in 1994.

According to her official biography, she was just the fifth woman from Wales to hold a full-time political position and the first to have a baby while serving in office.

Following her resignation as an MEP in 2009, she joined the staff of the energy company SSE.

Given a peerage in 2011, she entered the House of Lords as Baroness Morgan of Ely. During her time there, she served as a shadow minister for Wales.

In 2016, she traded in her position at Westminster's parliament for a seat in the parliament in Cardiff Bay, which was previously known as the assembly. She successfully ran for election in the Mid and West Wales region.

She was only able to launch her first leadership campaign because the current first minister, Carwyn Jones, nominated her.

Huw Irranca-Davies, who was one of the rare Labour politicians to support her in the past, is now her partner in the race.

Morgan finished in third place behind Drakeford, who ultimately won, and Gething, who came in second.

Drakeford selected her to join his government, and then later promoted her to the most challenging position in the cabinet - health minister - in 2021.

She was left with the difficult aftermath of Covid and increasing wait times.

During her tenure, there have been strikes and a contentious choice to place the underperforming health board in north Wales back into special measures.

Managing the NHS with limited funds would be a nightmare, as stated by her in 2022.

It was a typically straightforward evaluation from someone who is known for being outspoken.

Source of image: UK investigation on COVID-19.

Baroness Morgan expressed her disapproval of how Downing Street managed the pandemic during a UK Covid-19 inquiry meeting in Cardiff.

The investigation into Covid showed that she messaged her coworkers about the Omicron variant, saying: “We’re all screwed!”

She said sorry for using inappropriate language, acknowledging that it may not be expected from someone who is the daughter of a clergyman and married to a priest. Her husband, Rhys Jenkins, is also a doctor, and they have two kids.

In June 2022, she had to say sorry once more after getting a six-month driving ban for speeding multiple times. Then, the next year, she had to apologize again for making a joke about Margaret Thatcher and a Conservative reshuffle.

After already running for the highest position once before, some may have anticipated her participation in the race to take over for Drakeford. However, she chose to support her former opponent, Gething, instead.

When asked if she wanted to continue working in the health position under a new FM, she responded to ITV Wales by saying she was not necessarily hoping for that outcome. She acknowledged that the job was extremely challenging.

Even though there were signs that she wanted a change, Gething kept her as health secretary - and she supported him when he faced criticism as leader.

She may be close to securing a new job soon.

If she is successful, taking on the role of first minister and bringing together Welsh Labour after a challenging period will prove to be an even tougher challenge than her current responsibilities.